Micronutrients & recovery
Ingestion of 20g of collagen protein yields significantly higher plasma glycine concentrations compared to 20g of dairy protein, whereas dairy protein yields higher plasma leucine concentrations.
If you are targeting connective tissue health (like tendons or ligaments), simply eating standard protein like whey or casein may not provide enough glycine. Ingesting 20g of collagen protein (hydrolyzed or gelatin) provides a much higher glycine spike than dairy protein. Since glycine is a key building block for collagen, consider adding a collagen supplement, ideally 30-60 minutes before exercise when blood flow to tissues is increased.
In general, protein intake was associated with a similar increase in total and collagen specific AAs, except for collagen proteins being a superior source of glycine (683 ± 166 µmol/L) compared to 260 ± 65 µmol/L for dairy proteins (P < 0.0001), whilst dairy proteins were a superior source of leucine (267 ± 77 µmol/L) compared to 189 ± µmol/L for collagen proteins (P < 0.04).
Why this rating
Randomized crossover trial with healthy active males, clear statistical differentiation, though limited to acute plasma kinetics.
Source
Plasma Amino Acid Concentrations After the Ingestion of Dairy and Collagen Proteins, in Healthy Active Males
Rebekah Alcock et al. · Frontiers in Nutrition · 2019
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